Locking and releasing mechanism for swinging doors or the like



Nov. 3, 1936. F. c. GRISWOLD LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR SWINGING DOORS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1935 "3 Sheets-Sheet l.

M & mN Q N h s M d1 m 8 R %9 m Q m a H; v mmw! WQN M K M n d W w QM: ml nNr N W N nNnN M 2/ M W m NOV. 3, 1936. Q GRlSWOLD 2,059,692

LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR SWINGING DOORS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1935' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 DUO INVENTOR ZgMMKM ATTRNEYS Nov. 3, 1936. F, c. GRISWOLD 2,059,692

LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR SWINGING DOORS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q- IN N QR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UETD STATS FlQE rarest LOCKING AND RELEASHNG MECHANISM FOR SWINGING DOORS OR THE LIKE Claims.

One object of my invention is to provide simple and effective means for automatically looking a swinging element, such, as for instance, a door, window, shutter, or the like, in its open position, combined with novel manually operated means for releasing the swinging element to permit it to be closed.

Another object is to provide means for automatically locking the swinging element closed or open, combined with manually operated means for releasing the swinging element to permit it to be either opened or closed.

My invention consists, generally, in a device for locking the swinging element open, said device comprising fixed and movable locking members combined with a handle mounted on the swinging element and operatively connected to the movable locking member for rocking it to release it from the fixed locking member, to permit the closure of the swinging element, said movable locking member being mounted on the swinging element for universal movement and being slidable in the fixed locking member.

My invention also includes, in certain forms, upper latches or both upper and lower latches mounted on the swinging element for automatically locking the swinging element in its closed position, said latches being operatively connected to the said handle whereby they may be released when it is desired to open the. swinging element, the handle in this instance serving both as the manually operated means for releasing the swinging element from its closed position and for re-- leasing the swinging element from its open position.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings which represent my invention applied to the double swinging doors of a. building structure.

Fig. 1 represents an inside elevation with the doors in their closed position.

Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 11-11 of Fig. 1, looking in. the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 represents a similar horizontal section showing the doors locked in their open position.

Fig. l represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line IV-IV of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 represents a face view, on an enlarged scale, of the upper latch of one of the doors.

Fig. 6 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line VIVI of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. '7 represents a face view of the manually operated handle and its adjacent parts, the handle being shown in full lines in one position and in dotted lines in another position.

Fig. 8 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line VIIIVIII of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 represents a face View of the lower latch.

Fig. 10 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line X-X of Fig. 9, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. ll represents a face view of the ball and socket connection between the movable locking member and the door.

Fig. 12 represents a plan View of the same.

Fig. 13 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line XIII-XIII of Fig. 12, looking in. the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 14 represents a detail angular view, partly in section, with the movable part of the ball and socket joint shown in full lines in one position and in dotted lines in another position.

Fig. 15 represents a detail plan view of the operating rod which rocks the movable member of the ball and socket joint,

Fig. 16 represents a side view of the fixed looking member with the movable locking member in 2 the position it occupies when the door is closed.

Fig. 17 represents an inverted plan view of the same.

Fig. 18 represents a detail view showing the movable locking member in full lines in its position for locking the door open and in dotted lines rocked to its released position.

The doors I and 2 are, in the present instance, the elements which are hinged to swing on the uprights of the frame 3 which forms the support 1 for the doors.

The door i may be locked in its closed position by the provision of upper and. lower latches 4, 4 and the door 2 may be locked in its closed position to the door l by a lock 5 of any well known or approved type.

The means for automatically locking one door in its open position is substantially the same as the means for automatically locking the other door in its open position and therefore only one of these means will be specifically described, which means is constructed, arranged and operated as follows:

A fixed locking member is provided for each door, which fixed locking member is secured to the head of the door frame about midway between the inner and outer edges of the door. The fixed locking member comprises a plate E5 having a depending looped portion consisting of two loops l and 8. 55

A movable locking member is provided for each door in position to coact with the fixed locking member to lock the door automatically in its open position, which movable locking member comprises a horizontally disposed bar 9 mounted at one end for universal movement on the door and provided at its other end with a hooked portion. The universal mounting for the hook bar is shown in this instance as a ball and socket joint, the socket member It being fixed to the door and the ball member l l having a depending arm E2 in which the adjacent end of the hook bar 9 is seated. This depending arm i2 is provided with a circumferential reduced portion forming a neck l3.

The hook at the other end of the bar is shaped to form a vertical portion l4, a lateral portion [5 and a return portion E6. The body of the hook bar 9 is slidably supported in the loop 1 of its fixed locking member and the return portion N3 of the hook bar is adapted to enter the loop 8 of the said fixed locking member as the door nears the end of its opening movement. As the door reaches the end of this opening movement the vertical portion [4 drops into locking engagement with one side of the depending looped portion of the fixed locking member and the horizontal portion !5 of the hook engages the opposite side of the loop member, the vertical and horizontal portions thus forming shoulders which lock the door in its open position against lost motion.

The manually operated means for releasing the movable locking member from its fixed looking member to permit the door to be swung to its closed position is constructed, arranged and operated as follows:

A handle i1 is pivoted at I8 to the door in a convenient position for the operator. The lower end of a vertically disposed operating rod i9 is pivoted eccentrically to the handle it and the upper end of this rod i9 is connected to a horizontally disposed operating rod 22 through the arms 2t and 2! of a bell crank lever. The other end of this horizontally disposed operating rod 22 is constructed to swing the ball member I I to rock the hook bar 9 to the position shown in dotted outline in Fig. 14 as follows:

A block 23 is carried on the operating rod 22 and a short bar 24 projects from this block spaced from and parallel to the rod 22 so that the neck iii of the ball member depending arm I2 is embraced between the said rod 22 and the bar 25. The block 23 is provided with a reduced edge 25 arranged to engage the neck 13 to rock the ball member H and thereby the hook bar 9. As the rod 22 is moved endwise in one direction by the endwise movement of the operating rod l9 due to the swinging of the handle I1, the end of rod 22 carrying block 23 is caused to swing away from the inner face of the door. This movement of the rod end and block causes the lower end of the depending arm l2 to swing away from the door by rocking about the ball and socket structure. The bar 9 is caused to rock about the return portion E6 of the hook by the outward swinging of arm i2. This rocking of the hook bar, because of the bearing of the return portion 56 of the hook forming a pivot in its loop 8, serves to lift the bar sufficiently to move the vertical portion M of the hook out of its locking engagement with its loop l of the fixed locking member, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 18, thereby permitting the door to be swung to its closed position.

The upper and lower latches 4, 4 which automatically lock the door I in its closed position are operated by the handle I! to unlock the door I and permit it to be swung to its open position as follows:

The uprising vertically disposed operating rod I9 is connected not only to the arm 20 of the bell crank lever 20, 2| but it is also connected to operate the upper latch 4. A depending vertically disposed operating rod 26 is eccentrically connected at its upper end to the pivoted handle 11 and at its lower end it is operatively connected to the lower latch 4 so that the swinging movement of the handle in one direction will cause the upper and lower operating rods l9 and 26 respectively, to withdraw the latches 4, 4 from their locking positions. Springs 21, 27 are provided for yieldingly pressing the latches to their locking positions.

It is evident that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described, but

What I claim is:

1. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon; a fixed locking member provided with two loops, a hook bar mounted for universal movement on the swinging member and having one part slidable and rotatable in one loop and another part slidable in the other loop for automatically locking the hook bar to the fixed member when the swinging element is open, and manually operated means for rocking the hook bar axially in said last named loop to release it from its locking engagement with the fixed member.

2. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon, a fixed locking member provided With two loops, a hook bar mounted for universal movement on the swinging member and having one part slidable and rotatable in one loop and another part slidable in the other loop for automatically locking the hook bar to the fixed member when the swinging element is open, and manually operated means for rocking the hook bar axially in said last named loop to release it from its locking engagement with the fixed member, said hook bar being shaped to prevent lost motion when locked to the fixed member.

3. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon, a fixed locking member having abutments depending from said support, a bar mounted at one end for universal movement on the swinging element and the other end provided with a return portion forming a hook, the bar and its return portion being slidable in the fixed member, said hook bar having shoulders adjacent the return portion adapted to automatically engage opposite abutments on the fixed locldng member as the element is swung to its open position to lock the element, and manually operated means for rocking the hook bar axially on the said return portion in the fixed locking member to release the shoulders from their engagement with the abutments on the fixed locking member.

4. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon, a fixed locking member having a looped portion depending from said support, a bar mounted at one end for universal movement on the swinging element and the other end provided with a return portion forming a hook, the bar and its return portion being slidable in the looped portion, said hook bar having shoulders adjacent its return portion adapted to automatically engage the opposite sides of the looped portion as the element is swung to its open position to lock the element, and manually operated means for rocking the hook bar axially on the said return portion in the looped portion to release the shoulders from their locking engagement with the looped portion of the fixed locking member.

5. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon, a fixed locking member having two loops juxtaposed and depending from said support, a bar mounted at one end for universal movement on the swinging element and the other end provided with a return portion forming a hook, the bar being slidable in one of said loops and its return portion disposed to slide into and out of the other loop, said hook bar having shoulders adjacent the return portion adapted to automatically engage the opposite sides of the loops as the element is swung to its open position to lock the element, and manually operated means for rocking the hook bar axially on the said return portion in the last named loop to release the shoulders from their locking engagement with the loops of the fixed locking member.

6. In a support with an element hinged to swing thereon, a fixed locking member, a movable looking member, a ball and socket joint on the swinging element for the movable locking member, and manually operated means mounted on the swinging element for rocking the movable locking member and comprising a handle, a vertically disposed rod moved endwise on the swinging element by said handle, a horizontally disposed rod having a rock lever connection with the vertically disposed rod and positioned to engage the movable part of said ball and socket joint.

7. In a device comprising a support, an element hinged to swing thereon, and an upper locking device carried by the swinging element for looking it closed, the combination of a fixed looking member on the support, a ball and socket joint carried by the swinging element, a. bar having one end connected to oscillate with said ball and socket joint and arranged to slidably engage the fixed locking member, a rod connecting the locking device and ball and socket joint, and a manually operated means for simultaneously moving the locking device vertically and said rod horizontally to actuate the ball and socket joint which in turn oscillates the bar and releases it from the fixed locking member.

8. In a device comprising a support, an element hinged to swing thereon, and an upper locking device carried by the swinging element for looking it closed, the combination of a fixed locking member on the support, a ball and socket joint carried by the swinging element, a bar having one end connected to said ball and socket joint and oscillated by the movement of said joint, the other end of said bar being provided with a hook arranged to engage the fixed locking member for locking the element open and slidable in the looking member when the hook is released, a horizontally disposed rod interposed between the locking device and the ball and socket joint, and a manually operated means for simultaneously moving the locking device vertically and said rod longitudinally to actuate the ball and socket joint which in turn oscillates the bar and releases the hook from the fixed locking member.

9. In a device comprising a support, an element hinged to swing thereon, and an upper looking device carried by the swinging element for looking it closed, the combination of a fixed looking member on the support, a ball and socket joint carried by the swinging element, a bar having one end connected to said ball and socket joint and oscillated by the movement of said joint, the other end of said bar being provided with a hook arranged to engage the fixed locking member for locking the element open and slidable in the locking member when the hook is released, a horizontally disposed rod interposed etween the locking device and the ball and socket joint, said rod having a lost motion connection with the ball and socket joint, and a manually operated means for simultaneously moving the locking device vertically and said rod longitudinally to actuate the ball and socket joint which in turn oscillates the bar and releases the book from the fixed locking member.

10. In a device comprising a support, an element hinged to swing thereon, and an upper looking device carried by the swinging element for looking it closed, the combination of a fixed looking member on the support, a ball and socket joint carried by the swinging element, a bar having one end connected to said ball and socket joint and oscillated by the movement of said joint, the other end of said bar being provided with a hook arranged to engage the fixed locking member for locking the element open and slid-. able in the locking member when the hook is released, a horizontally disposed rod interposed between the locking device and the ball and socket joint, said rod having a lost motion connection with the ball and socket joint, and a manually operated means for simultaneously moving the locking device vertically and said rod longitudinally to actuate the ball and socket joint which in turn oscillates the bar and releases the hook from the fixed locking member, said means comprising a handle pivoted on the swinging element, a vertically disposed rod connected at one end to said handle and the other end pivoted to the locking device and a rock lever interposed between the locking device and said horizontally disposed rod.

FREDERICK C. GRISWOLD. 

